Flipped
by Muscarie
Summary: A game of chicken goes wrong for Jennifer Brody, though it was never a game, she realises that now. As everything flips and Vaas is constantly at the other end of the line, it's a new world order, and Jen had better learn fast.
1. Playing Chicken

**Oh hello, there. *looks at pile of unfinished works* So... Looks like it's time to start on another project! Far Cry 3 again, shall we?**

 **I've decided to have a go at the gender bent AU, with Jason Brody becoming Jennifer Brody. I have a plan to try and incorporate all the elements of the game as best as possible, and have plans for, for example, Citra's reaction to Jen being a girl, etc. Hopefully this will work. This starts in the middle of the game, with a game of chicken. I'm not going to narrate the start of the game etc, we all know it. I must say, in my head I struggle to see Vaas with anyone other than Alice, but I guess Jason is alright.. ;)**

 **warnings: use of drugs and alcohol (as in the game, Jen will use drugs. Don't be like Jen.)**

 **disclaimer: I do not own Far Cry and I'm not making any profit.**

 **I hope you enjoy, and let me know if you do :) thank you for reading.**

"You sure about this, J.?"

Jen doesn't reply, instead changes position a little bit, using her camera to try and spot any pirates she may have missed.

"You seen that sniper up there?"

"Obviously," she whispers back, nervously checking up on the sniper again.

"And you are going to use that tiger, right?"

"No." She feels him roll his eyes. "This is a quiet job," as always, Jen feels the need to justify herself to Grant. "I wanna go in, get the supplies, then get straight out. I'm sneaking. I'm being stealthy."

"Yeah, 'cause you're real good at that," chuckles Grant, crouching behind her.

About two or three weeks before, Grant walked out of the jungle, in the middle of the night, as Jen was sitting by her current shack. She froze in terror and disbelief as her brother, suddenly very much alive, sat down next to her and then later started chatting to her, like nothing happened. She knew he was dead. She'd felt the blood pouring out of his neck, it all slipped through her fingers, she knew he was dead. She knew it was in her head. Or was it? Were ghosts real? She heard him snorting beside her. No. No ghosts. Not even on this crazy island. She simply... Saw her dead brother.

At some point along the way, she'd stopped being worried about it.

It was nice to have Grant back, and kinda nice not to have to share him with anyone.

Even if he judged and commented on her every move.

"Medical supplies, is it?"

"Yeah."

She put down the camera, touched the machete at her hip and the handgun on the other side, then picked up her bow and hooked an arrow on it, ready. Ok, Jen. Stealthy. Sneaky. We're not making a mess today.

"Told ya ya shoulda got a silencer for that gun," sasses Grant.

"Shh."

That's when she feels it. The look. She whirls around, looking wildly at the vegetation surrounding her. A predator is watching her, she knows it.

"What?" Whispers Grant, following her gaze.

Something moves in the bushes. Moves away.

"Nothing." The feeling has gone. "Nothing," she repeats. "Just watch my back, instead of chatting, will ya?"

Without waiting for an answer, Jennifer Brody starts making - crawling- her way down to the pirate camp. Bushes provide great protection, but you can't move too fast, otherwise the pirates notice you. Even they aren't this dumb. This said, once, as Jen was trying to sneak past some very drunk pirates, whilst being high on some medicinal drug herself, she was heard, and when the pirates yelled out "who's there?" She'd stupidly replied : "a deer". And they'd believed it. It had happened for real, but somehow she doubted she'd ever get that lucky again.

When she reaches a shack, Jen throws a quick look in before hopping over the window, and ending up face to face with a very surprised pirate, his mouth a comical O shake as he reaches for his gun with one hand, the other pointing an accusatory finger at her.

Jen is faster.

She slides behind him and wraps an iron like arm around his neck, squeezing until the breathing stops, ignoring the hits he throws at her. She's not the strongest, but she certainly is the most tenacious.

As she lays the body gently onto the ground, listening out for any footsteps, Jen gets that feeling again, that a predator is hunting her. She looks out, careful.

"Thought you'd seen them all," whispers Grant, worry in his voice, "you even looked into this shack, how did you not...?"

"Shh."

The odd feeling has gone again, and Jen shakes her head. She had looked into the shack, and yet somehow missed this pirate of decent size now lying on the ground, at her feet. The spots on her arms, back and head where he had hit her as she killed him start throbbing painfully.

"What's this?" Asks Grant, as his little sister pulls out a set of syringes and selects one which she then presses against the crook of her arm.

"Little help."

As the drug goes in, it nubs the pain, immediately, and it makes everything go brighter, louder.

"J..."

The disapproval literally drips from her brother's voice.

"It's just a little help, I'm sore. Now stop making me talk, they'll hear me."

The other great thing about the drugs, which Jen doesn't tell Grant about, is that they make him appear and sound a lot more real.

Grant goes quiet. Jen sneaks past a few more buildings, deactivates an alarm on the way, just in case. The supplies, she knows, are kept in the room next to the radio room. There's bandages, syringes, first aid kits, and most importantly there's that stuff that makes her stronger and means she can take a guy twice her size with her tiny muscles. She needs that. She'll definitely need that when she takes on Vaas.

She has to wait five minutes for a guy to finish his shift, and enters the supply room just before the other guy arrives, shutting the door behind her, as quietly as humanly possible.

Once in, Jen straightens her back, even stretches a bit, cracks her knuckles before getting to work. It's like Santa Claus' secret treasure room, all the supplies shining brightly and some even sparkling at her, though maybe that's the drugs making it all look like a pile of Christmas lights. Jen sets her bow on the side.

"You could have gone in through here," says Grant, and she knows he's pointing at the window just by the desk.

"Didn't know that was there. These rooms are usually fully locked up."

"No weapons kept here, must be why." Comments Grant.

Jen snorts. Trust Vaas' guys to value weapons over medicines.

She fills her backpack, careful not to break anything, notices a set of walkie talkies and picks one up, inspecting it. She doesn't hear the door opening then shutting behind her. Now you'd think Grant would warn her, except Grant isn't a real person, obviously, and only sees what Jen sees. That's what she'll have to remind herself of when she feels the urge to blame him for what is about to happen.

"Peekaboo, princess!"

Vaas' voice rings right behind her, so close his breath licks her neck and she recoils in disgust, forgetting to reach for the gun at her hip. Vaas snakes an arm around her body, effectively entrapping her arms, and wraps his other arm around her neck, squeezing painfully.

"Think I don't see you, huh? Sneaking around my camp, taking down my guys, stealing my shit?" He chuckles, her whole body vibrating from the proximity. "You should have gone through that window, you know."

The air is moist, sticky, his body is too warm and his sweat mixes with hers. It's sickening.

With the wall as leverage, Jen uses her legs to push back against him, but he doesn't let go. And when she head butts him, he doesn't let go. Instead, he flips her around and pushes her against the wall, his body blocking hers, his hands squeezing her throat, his face so close their noses are touching and she can smell his breath. Freeing one hand, the one holding the walkie talkie, she whacks him across the head with it, once, twice, thrice, and it's like hitting a stone. He grows tired of it and uses an arm to restrain hers, his other hand still around her throat, squeezing but not quite killing yet. Maybe he wants to kill the fight in her first. She cannot push him off. Lights start dancing in front of her eyes, and his face melts into a mush of colours, and abruptly Jen does the thing she did the last time a boy had her in a similar position.

She was ten, and Dylan McNeil had her against the wall and he wouldn't let go. He was angry at her for running faster than him. Grant wasn't there, no one was. What she'd done, which had worked instantly, was lick his face. Dylan had literally jumped off her as if burnt, and wouldn't go anywhere near her again. For years!

So she does the thing.

Leaning forward, Jen licks the part of Vaas she can reach first, his mouth.

And it works! It really does, for a second it really does work!

Vaas leans back, eyes wide, his hold on her eases and Jen is about to rush out of his grasp when he abruptly plunges in again, only with a whole different kind of hold.

His body presses against hers again, and she is pinned against the wall, again, only this time he has a hand on her back and one cupping her face, and he is kissing her, pressing his mouth against hers and licking at her lips.

Jen is confused. Angry. She doesn't want to be bested. Is he playing chicken? Is this a contest now, who will be the first to move away? It's a stupid chain of thought but it is helped by the drugs, and Jen refuses to be beaten twice. She kisses back, forcefully, licks back until it turns into French kissing and even then she doesn't back down. He'll give up first. Let him lose this one. She's never lost at a game of chicken. Ever.

Shit, he's not giving up.

His hand pulls her hair, not too hard, but enough to tilt her head back even more and allow better access to her mouth, and his other hand clumsily starts grabbing at her jeans, pulling them down, or trying to anyway. Now, Jen isn't sure if she isn't the chicken after all. She isn't sure, but she is determined not to go down without a fight, so she grabs a handful of his shirt and pulls him to her, the back of her hand touching his stomach and he groans, before his mouth leaves hers and starts sucking and licking down to her breasts, over her top. He's still trying to get the damn jeans off.

Then she hears the voices.

Pirates just outside, about to come in. Calling Vaas' name.

Enough shitting around, never mind losing at chicken, they'll kill her.

She pushes hard against him, but he refuses to let go, instead cooing in a weird voice:

"No, no, no, it's ok baby, nena, it's ok, don't worry J..."

Somewhere along the lines he has stopped blocking her legs, and Jennifer knees him as hard as she can in the groin, and he doubles over in pain. Not waiting, she grabs the backpack and jumps out of the window, still clutching the walkie talkie in one hand. Shit, she left the bow.

She turns back and sees Vaas standing at the window, watching her run away. There's a massive open space between the window and the jungle, and with each step Jen is certain she is about to get shot in the back.

She doesn't get shot. Doesn't get chased.

Jen enters the jungle, and doesn't stop running until she reaches the relative safety of her shack. She dumps the backpack on the floor and goes to the bathroom, washes her face extensively and inspects a hickey forming on her throat. She jumps out of her skin when her brother's face suddenly appears in the mirror, right behind her.

He's not happy.

"J., what the fuck was that?"

She's about to start justifying herself, when the walkie talkie, dumped on the bed, buzzes to life.

"Jen? Jenny?"

She freezes. Grant and her exchange a look of pure horror, before both turning to stare at the piece of plastic.

"Jen, baby, I know you're there."

Vaas.

"I know you can hear me."

"Oh my god."

"Well done, J."

"Baby, I gotta say, that's not how I imagined our first kiss... But fuck, it was amazing, nena, am I right?"

Grant' shoulders unexpectedly start shaking.

"What the hell?" Mutters Jen.

"Are you in bed? Are you thinking about me?"

"Stop laughing!" Cries Jen at Grant who is actually wiping tears from his eyes.

"What are you wearing, baby?"

Jen rushes to turn the device off just as her brother falls to his ass laughing.

"God," she says, "God, what now?"


	2. Reincarnation Theories

**Oh man, thank you so much to the people who have read this, and to eroomally for your kind feedback. I really really appreciate you taking the time. I read your story too ;) need to catch up on chapter 14!**

 **Hope you enjoy this, it's got a big part of the plot in it. There will be more Vaas and walkie talkie goodness in the next chapter.**

 **Enjoy, and thanks for reading :)**

"Just turn it off," repeats Grant.

It's the next morning, and Vaas is still at the other end of the line. He's playing a song into the walkie talkie : "Kiss from a Rose". By then, Jen's eyes have been rolling so much it is a miracle she can still see straight.

"Why don't you just turn it off?"

"It's intel!" Yells Jen. "I can use this to hear what's going on over at his camp!"

"J., for fuck's sake, the only intel we've got so far is that Vaas does a suspiciously long morning piss and that he's got shit taste in music."

"...guess you ain't wrong."

"Good morning, nena."

"Christ."

"How are you today?"

Why it does not seem to bother him that Jen isn't replying, she has no idea. Now that the haze from the drugs has lifted, and everything is both less bright yet clearer, she has a better idea of what happened the day before. She was pushed into a corner by Vaas and had licked him, hoping to disgust or at least startle him enough that he'd let go of her. Her plan had backfired in the most random way when he'd interpreted it as a kiss and had against all odds decided to kiss back, at which point Jen's crazy high had told her that this was a fight and she had to fight back. By kissing back. Now, she'd ended up with a walkie talkie that had Vaas on the other end of the line, and he kept on harassing her.

"That about sums it up, yeah, genius."

Jen scowled at her brother before starting to get dressed for the day. Even though, deep down, she knew he wasn't there, she still went to the bathroom to change.

So... Did that mean that Vaas... Fancied her? And that, on some level, he'd fancied her for a while? Then why all the violence? Why try to kill her so many times? He'd been strangling the life out of her just seconds before sticking his tongue in her mouth, she thought with a shudder.

"Because he's a psycho," calls out Grant from the other room. "He's completely nuts. Probably can't believe he's been kissed by someone he hasn't paid to do so, so now he thinks you're his soulmate. You're probably the only girl, scratch that, the only person who's ever bested him."

"Great."

"I'm just looking through your pictures, Jennifer." Vaas' voice buzzes from the discarded walkie talkie. "I kept your phone, did you know that? Been looking at your pictures a lot. Especially at night, cariño."

Jen groans in disgust, shaking her head as if it would make it all go away. Shit. Maybe she was imagining this? Maybe Vaas' voice came from her head, like Grant?

"That one's my favourite. You know, the one on the beach, where you're in your little mismatching bikini, and you're looking over your shoulder... With your tight little ass, and your lips..."

"Not sure I'm ok with listening to this, J. It's getting a bit sick."

"Agreed," replies Jen, tying up her hair before making her way to the walkie talkie. Just in time.

"Fuuuuck..." Purrs Vaas, then both Brodys hear the distinctive sound of a zipper being undone.

Jen turns the walkie talkie off. She hesitates for a moment, then puts it in her backpack, purposefully avoiding to look in Grant's direction.

"What today, then?" Questions the soldier as they step out into Amanaki village. "Saving the widow and the orphan? Any more pirates to lick?"

"Knock it off."

"Or do you wanna run through a cassowary nest, like last week?"

"Haha. You know, for a dead guy you're real mouthy-"

"Jennifer."

Dennis appears at her side, and Jen's first thought is "did he hear me talking to Grant?". If he has, Dennis doesn't show it.

"Hi, Dennis."

"Citra wishes to speak to you. Someone said you had a run in with Vaas himself when you were retrieving the supplies?"

"I-" ("that's one way to put it," mumbles Grant) "-did. I did, yes. I've got the supplies, though. Everything she asked for."

"You really are helping our cause, Jennifer. You are one of us. When this is all over, there will be a place for you on this island."

They exchange a smile. Jen wonders if Dennis could tell how much it means to her.

"Come, Citra awaits."

Ever since day one, the temple has never ceased to amaze Jennifer.

It is a great construction of grey stones, disappearing under roots and vegetation, and the air there just feels...different. Hot and moist, yes, but more primal, more original, deeper somehow, whereas sometimes the rest of the island feels...dirty. Jen isn't quite sure how to put it, but it is humbling to be in the temple. Humbling to walk beside Citra. They're so different. Citra's skin is bronze, her eyes are a light, greenish blue, luminous and divine, her face is perfect, symmetrical, full lips and sharp cheekbones. Her hair is exotic, her movements are that of a tiger, she oozes confidence and mysticism.

Then there's Jen.

She's the same height as Citra, but doesn't quite look as tall. Her own blue grey eyes are in fact larger than Citra's, but again, they don't look quite as big. Her pale skin has finally started shifting from sunburn to a light goldish tan, her hair sits on top of her head in a messy bun (impossible to bear having your hair down in this heat) and it curls a bit with the moisture in the air, and her eyebrows have reclaimed their rights over her face. Never mind, she thinks, thick brows are in fashion. It is a bit embarrassing when she sees Keith, or Liza. Or Daisy, actually. Jen wears the same trousers she had on when she first arrived, and the same blue t-shirt, the one she inherited from Grant and is slightly too big for her. Her breasts kind of disappear in it. Walking beside Citra, Jen knows she looks like some fourteen years old boy with a man bun gone wrong.

They're walking together, but Citra always keeps a step or two ahead of her. She's listened intently to Jen's report on her mission to retrieve medical supplies. "I like how you're leaving the whole licking thing out of the story," comments Grant. He doesn't like Citra, Jen has realised. Maybe he's jealous. Ever since childhood, Jen has not been allowed to admire anyone other than her big brother.

"And that is when you escaped?" Questions Citra, pensive.

"Yes." Jen avoids looking at her.

"Anything else?"

"No, that's it. I ran to the jungle and thankfully, they didn't follow." She isn't quite sure why, but she doesn't tell Citra about the walkie talkie. It feels... Like a dirty secret, or something. Maybe she'll mention it if she gets great intel from it. Grant snorts. "Yeah, right."

"The jungle shielded you. The island knew you."

It's easy to believe Citra. Jen was never one for any such theories about how nature and the earth has some form of conscience, but when Citra says it, and Grant isn't there to refute it with a great list of logical arguments and scientifical facts, it's easy to believe in it. Hell, Jen even wants to believe in it. Wants to believe in anything that means she gets to be alone with Citra.

"To infiltrate a pirate camp and only kill one pirate..." There is wonder in Citra's voice, and Jen basks in it.

Sometimes, sometimes, God forbid her, but sometimes, Jen thinks that perhaps Citra's insistence on knowing every single detail of her adventures comes from the Rakyat leader's own lack of outside experience. Sometimes, maybe, Jen thinks that perhaps Citra does not really get out on the field much. She's not saying it's a bad thing, no, she's not criticising Citra, no, never, she just...noticed. It's endearing, if anything. This child like curiosity. Makes Citra appear a bit more human.

"To overpower Vaas on your own," continues Citra, unaware. "My brother was once a great warrior, you know. Many have died fighting him. And you are a woman, too. Orang luar, an outsider. You must truly have become strong."

"She's got a strong lick, and no sense of self preservation." Interjects Grant, making Jen blush for no reason.

"Where does this strenght come from? Was it always there, back in America?"

It takes Jen a second to realise that this wasn't a rhetorical question. Citra is in fact asking her, and waiting for answers.

"Uh..." She shrugs, at a loss of words. Where did it all come from? Fear? Necessity? The drugs? "I don't know, I..."

She sees Grant, telling her he was going to take them all home. She sees the blood gushing out of his neck. She sees branches in the dark as dogs and pirates chase her through the night.

"I don't know, but sometimes I feel like..." She blushes, checks on Citra, and is relieved to see the Rakyat leader is listening intently, solely focused on her. Not judging. "Sometimes I... You know, Vaas killed my brother Grant, right in front of me. Grant was a soldier. He's the one that got us out of Vaas' camp. Grant has earned a medal for bravery, already. He's... I mean, he was really brave, and strong. He really was... A great warrior, I guess. When he died, I... I had to be him, suddenly, you know? I had to take on the job. I had to become the one who would free Riley, and the others." She blushes again, shrugs, nervously brushes an escaped bit of hair behind her ear. "I don't know, sometimes I wonder if maybe, when he died, his whole, you know, energy or something, didn't get passed on to me? So I could be him. Be strong like him. A warrior." She snorts. "He'd say I'm being stupid, if he could hear me."

Grant remains silent. So does Citra. So silent, that Jen risks a glance at her and realises the Rakyat has stopped walking and seems deep in thoughts.

"Citra?"

"Yes. Yes, of course. Memang! Jennifer, you are right. His strenght, his warrior spirit must have passed on to you when he was killed." It looks like she's just about cracked the secret to the universe, the meaning of life and also how to eat donuts without getting fat, all at once. "Jennifer." Suddenly, she's rushed to her side and has put a hand on Jen's shoulder, and it's really hard to breathe. "You are right. And you are a warrior, like your brother. He lives in you."

"I live in you? Please, what's this, the lion king?" Snaps Grant, but Jen ignores him. This explains everything. She never believed in reincarnation, but yet, here she is, suddenly strong like her brother, and she does see and hear him... Perhaps he does live in her. Perhaps the universe, the island, knew she needed him, needed to be him, and so they gave her his strenght. So she could do it. With drugs, too. Maybe. Part of him lives in her, the warrior part. Not the honourable one, that's for sure. Grant would never do drugs.

"J., you're doing well because you're good, that's it."

But Jen isn't listening. She's looking into Citra's eyes, and suddenly the universe makes sense. She smiles back at the Rakyat, who then does the one thing Jennifer had not been expecting. She leans in and presses her lips to hers, just for a couple of seconds, just long enough for Jen to realise it is happening, she's not imagining it. Then she pulls back, smiles widely and walks away, like nothing happened.

"Come, Jennifer. I have other assignments for you."

"Jeez!" Whispers Grant. "What's with these two crazy siblings and licking your face?"

Jen is blushing so furiously she cannot even talk back.

"Come!"

Jen follows suite, obedient. Absentmindedly brushes her lips with two fingertips. Straightens her back.

She's a warrior now.

Citra's warrior.

Somewhere at the back, at the back of her mind, Grant is saying something, but Jen isn't listening.

She's a warrior now.


	3. The Other End of the Line

**Thank you so much for the kind words, and thank you to anyone reading this story, I hope it doesn't disappoint. Also, just wanted to say I'm really glad someone went to read my other Far Cry works after this, really means a lot :) and thank you for letting me know you liked it.**

 **In this chapter, more Vaas, and in the next chapter, a big plot event. Next chapter will contain something huge, and I'm already excited, because I'm sad like that. Still owning nothing at all.**

 **I hope you enjoy :)**

As it turns out, having Vaas constantly on at the other end of the line does provide some valuable intel. Occasionally, the pirate either forgets that the walkie talkie is on, or he simply doesn't care, and some info slips through the net of bulshit that is Vaas' endless monologue. One day, as the walkie talkie is on, Vaas can be heard casually discussing "the best bow in the world" that is currently being kept in a nearby hideout, guarded by two guys names Carlos and Haikal, who are always drunk.

"Do you hear that?" Whispers Jen, as if Vaas could hear, and she jumps to her feet and starts gathering her things.

"Yeah, sounds real good." Grant does not sound anywhere near as excited as he should be. "So... There's this amazing bow, and it's kept at some isolated place, by only two guys."

"Yeah!" She's almost out the door.

"J. J.! You do realise he's pulling your leg, right?"

"What?"

"It's a trap, doofus."

"No it's not."

"He knows you need a bow. If that bow is that great, why would it be kept by two guys only? Why would Vaas let you overhear about it?"

"Cause he's fucking stupid."

"He ain't. He's crazy, but he ain't stupid."

"Well, let's see, then, OK?"

They set off to the location Vaas has been discussing, but instead of making her way over to the hideout, Jen climbs up a tree, and uses her camera to get a good view of the place. Small shack. Bow clearly visible on the table, inside. Two guys. Both drunk.

"See?" But before she even has time to finish that word, Vaas appears at the window. He stands there, takes a look around, before turning to a mirror on the wall and rearranging his Mohawk.

"Can I do the told you so dance?"

Jen watches Vaas blow into his hand before smelling it.

"Is he checking his breath?"

"I've seen enough. God, I'm so stupid."

"Stop doing drugs."

Still, Jen does not turn the walkie talkie off. Days pass, and Vaas remains unwavering in his efforts to get her to talk back to him. He plays her music in the morning, reads out jokes around lunchtime, and just chats to her. At her. He's particularly chatty at night.

"You know," he says one night, when the jungle comes alive in the dark. "I'm gonna be honest with you, Jennifer. When I first saw you, with your pretty face, your pretty ass, your pretty phone, I didn't think nothing of you. I just thought you were some spoiled little white bitch. But then, I kept trying to kill you, and you kept winning. Winning, winning, winning. It drove me fucking crazy. I saw your fucking face everywhere. I thought to myself, why can't I kill her? What is so special about her?" He made a whistling sound, then a crashing sound. "Then it hit me. You're me. I am you, and you are me. We were meant to be together, Jennifer. You were meant to land on my island. I've figured it out." He chuckles softly. "I thought I could never have you. But then... You kissed me, baby. You really fucking did. So now I know, I know you feel it too. There's no escaping this, I've figured it all out, baby. And when you figure it out too, we'll be together. Sleep well, nena. Dream of me. Dream of what would have happened in that shack if we hadn't been interrupted. I was nearly in those fucking jeans, you know th-"

Walkie talkie goes off.

Grant and Jennifer have a number of arguments over the issue. As they run around the jungle, walk through Amanaki, or just sit outside Jennifer's shack in the evenings, they argue over it.

"Grant, trust me, I don't like this either, but what if he did let something big slip?"

They are sitting on the two chairs outside her shack, late at night. Funny how no one questions the presence of two chairs although, technically, Jen is the only one living there.

For a second there, he looks like he might be tempted to agree with her, but that's the moment Vaas chooses to pass on the following message:

"Hello. This is a message for Jennifer Brody's butt. Jennifer, if you could pass the walkie talkie on to your butt, thank you very much." Grant's eyebrows rise so high his forehead momentarily disappears. Vaas clears his throat. "Amigo. Light of my life." Jen knows she is supposed to look shocked, horrified, disgusted. Instead, she lets out an undignified snort. "I just want to let you know that your picture keeps me contented at night. I stare at it, and I picture the next time I shall see you in flesh again." Jen's choked up laughter makes her face go red and her eyes water, and she can see that Grant's angry look is starting to crack, too. "I never leave the house, in the morning, without kissing your picture. For good luck. I hope that she is treating you well. I hope that she is exfoliating you, and moisturising you. I can't wait to see you again, cariño. Take care."

"Come on," urges Jen, laughing so hard she's struggling to stay seated in her chair. "You gotta admit, if all else fails, this is still pretty entertaining!"

Grant looks down pinches the bridge of his nose between his index and his thumb, but Jen can see his shoulders shaking with laughter.

They laugh like that until their bellies start cramping up, then, abruptly, Jen realises that Grant isn't there, and that her laughs have turned into sobs, and that there are big tears rolling down her cheeks as she stares, bewildered, into the deep dark jungle.

And the darkness stares right back.

Jen wakes up the next day still in her chair by the door, and immediately stands to look for Grant. She finds him in the bathroom, inspecting his neck wound. Pretending not to see, Jen goes to retrieve the walkie talkie.

"You're already playing with that thing?"

She jumps. There's no way he could have moved this fast, not if he was real. There's blood, a mixture of dried and fresh, all around his neck and on his top, and Jen refuses to face him. She shakes her head and notices her own hands are covered in her brother's blood.

"Hey, junkie, I'm talking to you!"

He's angry. Very much so. Would Grant ever speak to her like that? He is speaking to you like that right now you idiot.

She wipes her bloodied hands against the back of her jeans and throws a nervous look around. Amanaki people nod at her as they pass by.

"You haven't even had breakfast, and already you're going for you fix. If it ain't the syringe, it's the Vaas, am I right? J. , I AM TALKING TO YOU!"

"Not here!" She whispers furiously. Everyone is watching, she's sure of it.

She sets off into the jungle, not bothering to check he's following her.

"Ok that's far enough now. Look at me. TURN. AROUND."

She turns around.

Grant's face is white, blue, black. His eyes are bulging out of their sockets, and the dark blood on his throat looks almost black.

"Stop doing that," Jen cries, begs, covering her eyes.

"This is what he did. This is what he did to me while I was trying to protect you." His words gurgle out of his slit throat.

"I know, I know, stop this please!"

"Then what the hell, J.?!"

Grant's voice is normal again, and Jen risks a look up. He's gone back to his regular, non bloodied face.

"Why are you doing this?"

"You'll have to be more specific," sasses Jen, rubbing her temples. She can feel a headache coming on.

"This. All this shit. The drugs, the killing, the fighting, the walkie talkie, not to mention the fucking tattoos, J., honestly, what the fuck? I'm talking about the self destruction, J."

"The what?"

"The self destruction. All these self destructive things you think you need to do. Like the drugs, the tattoos done in nasty conditions, the whole listening to that fucker that killed me business."

"I told you, Grant, Vaas is... He's powerful, OK? He's strong, and clever, and he has so many guys working for him, so many guys!" Her hands are moving, her eyes are wide, her voice is wavering as she tries to make him see, make him understand, make him feel how so very hard everything is, how she's only holding on by a thread, a dangerously exhilarating thread. "I need every help I can get to fight him, I need it, and I need it fast, what if Riley is already doomed? I have no time to waste on being a good girl, do you get it? I need help, Grant. I can't do this all on my own. I need Citra, and Dennis, and the Rakyat, and I need the syringes, Grant. If a couple of injections gets me even a quarter of an inch closer to Riley, then it's worth it. If listening to Vaas 's dirty fantasies gets me any closer to hearing one tiny detail that may be useful, then it's worth it. I'm doing this for Riley. I'm doing it for home."

"I feel like you're losing north, J." He steps forward. "And we're losing you."

"I know what I'm doing." Then, more angrily: "have a little faith in me, yeah?"

"J..." Grant starts, but let's the word hang in the air as the two siblings stand opposite each other, arms crossed, brows furrowed. Of course, to outsiders, Jen is the only one standing there.

Little by little, the tension ease, and eventually Grant, much calmer looking, opens his mouth as if to apologise, when the moment is broken by the walkie talkie at Jennifer's belt buzzing to life. It's time for Vaas' morning musical interval.

"I know you want me,"

It's Pitbull, today.

"You know I want tcha,"

"What?" Shouts Jen as she sees Grant's lips move but cannot hear a thing. Then, Grant flickers. Flickers. Disappears for a second. Reappears, disappears again.

"I know you want meeee, you know I want tcha."

Jen turns it off as she tries to hear what Grant is now silently shouting as he flickers between here and there.

"...over me!" Jen eventually hears her brother. "He's talking over me, J., and I can't be here if he is. It's him or me, little sis."

He disappears.

"It's you! You! Grant!"

She looks wildly all around, but all there is is jungle and the sunlight piercing through the dense vegetation. All there is is insects and movements in the bushes. Sweat, cuts, and the burning where the tatau has freshly been extended on her upper arm.

"Grant!"

No response.

"Grant! I've turned it off, see? Here, look,here!"

With shaking hands, Jen pulls out the batteries of the walkie talkie and shoves them in her right pocket, before tying the walkie talkie to her left hip and raises her hands up, like people do in films when the police arrives.

"It's gone, see? Grant? Grant?" Nothing. "GRAAANT!"

Suddenly, he's back, he's there, though she knows he really isn't, it's all so fucked up. He's there.

"You promise?"

"I promise, Grant, I won't listen to him. I'll never betray you. I just... I need help, you know?"

She fights off the tears and shuts her eyes tight to block their arrival, and soon she can feel a hand on her shoulder, her brother's hand, and oh god she can even feel the warmth coming off of it, it must be real, her brother is real and he's there and she can't do it without him. She calms her breathing. In, out.

Grant is back.

There's silence at the other end of the line.

Grant is back.


	4. Warrior

**Alright, here it is! The chapter where sh** really hits the fan.**

 **Thank you so much for your support, I'm not cool enough not to squeal at each review, so again, thank you, it is extremely appreciated. I do apologise for any spelling mistake, English is not my first language and I do get words wrong, or rather, I think they're right but actually they're pigeon English.**

 **I own nothing, as usual. All belongs to Ubisoft, and no profit is being made.**

 **Hope you enjoy :)**

Keeping the walkie talkie off is harder than expected. Jennifer's fingers twitch, and she always has to clasp them together to avoid reaching out for the batteries in her pocket. Often, she feels them there, just to make sure they are still there, and she could put them back into the walkie talkie should she want to. On a couple of occasions, she nearly turns the thing on just to see, just in case, just for a minute, but Grant somehow always seems to turn her way or walk in on her at these times. Which makes sense, since he's a construction of her mind. Of course he'd appear when she doesn't want him to.

Or maybe, he appears because she wants him to? It's all very confusing.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to Jennifer so far, in all of her life, is when she wakes from a wet dream to find her brother sitting by her bed, staring at her with reproach loaded disgust in his eyes.

In her dream, Jennifer did go for the bow Vaas was telling her about. She did go in the room, and she did pick it up, and, like when this whole mess has started, Vaas had crept up behind her, whirled her around and had her pinned against the wall. The rest was a hot and sweaty mess, and Jen's toes barely touched the floor as Vaas squeezed her bum and pushed against her. In the dream, she held onto him and cried out shamelessly. Then she woke up, a hand down her own knickers and her brother by her side. Needless to say, that was absolutely flipping horrible. Never had she been so thankful for the absence of hot water in her shack.

On a more general note, Jennifer has recently taken over another outpost, and left the fight bruised and with a nasty dog bite on her arm. As a result, and, things behind rather quiet on the Rakyat side, she decides to take a day off and to visit her friends down in the cave by Dr Earnheardt's house. This was supposed to be an uplifting, possibly even comforting experience, yet it turns out, as always, to be more of a guilt trip than anything.

Liza wants to leave. She thinks it is all in Jen's power, and so keeps asking Jen to just give up on her quest and to please just set off to find outside help. Also, she keeps trying to get Jen to talk about her feelings and address her grief, which really does not help Jen in the slightest. It will when she is actually trying to heal, but for now, she just needs to be left in peace, left to dive deeper and deeper into her own madness.

Keith flinches at any loud noise or unexpected physical contact. He has terrible nightmares which he aggressively denies the next morning, He is obviously suffering from PTSD but refuses any form of support.

Oliver gets high with Dr Earmheardt. He's doing ok, but the slight drug problem has now become a full blown addiction issue. Jen guesses they will all deal with it when they get home.

Daisy is throwing herself into her reparations as a means of coping with her fiancé's death, which is probably the behaviour Jen can relate the most to. They both lost Grant, after all. Sometimes, she wonders why her brother is not showing up for his fiancée. Then, she remembers why: Daisy, as opposed to her, is sane.

All in all, Keith is probably the one that hurts the most. If she'd only been faster... If she'd refused to play along with Buck's little mind games, if she'd just shown up at his place and killed him straight away... She'd freed Keith back when she still tried to find a way around having to kill people. Huge mistake. She knew it particularly hurt Keith to be seen in this state by her, Jennifer, with whom he could have had a bit of a romantic history. That is, if he'd set his standards of feminity lower, and if he'd been more ready to give up on other girls. They both knew they'd liked each other, in this other life, but Keith had been too proud, wanting a more feminine, perhaps a less deep woman.

That was what Jen thought on the matter.

Truth was, Keith knew now, how scared he was of being with someone like Jen, because it would have been serious, real, his parents would have been pleased to meet her, and if he'd blown it all up, like he knew he would have, then it would have destroyed the dynamic of the group. So, Keith had ignored her enamoured looks, and she'd always assumed she knew why. And now, watching her, Keith knew Jen was worth it, she was worth forgetting other girls, forgetting his mates making fun of him for being with a tomboy, but she was no longer looking at him like she used to.

Now, he understood, she'd grown up. She was past this. Men would be the ones chasing her now, not the other way around. She had no time to waste with the likes of him. Still, it hurt, it really did, that she had to be the one to witness his abuse. He didn't care how many guns she carried on her skinny self, to him, to some extent, she'd always remain his friend's little sister that had a crush on him.

"You were too good for him then, and you're too good for him now," whispers Grant, making Jennifer jump.

She wants to say "I thought he was your friend", but she is sitting by the campfire place, and she knows Liza is near enough to hear her talking to herself, so, instead, she thinks it really loudly and hopes he hears her.

"Yeah," concedes Grant, "but he's still a dick. Can't stay out of a fight, can't treat a woman like a person."

"I doubt he'll be looking for fights now," thinks Jennifer.

"Yeah, guess not." Says Grant, and Jen does not need to turn around to see the grim look in his eyes.

"Jenny"

Once again, Jennifer jumps. It's Liza.

"May I sit down?"

Jen nods, trying not to get annoyed. What would Liza do if Jen said no?

"How you doing?"

"Fine. And you? All of you?"

"We're... Ok, I guess. Considering." Liza's soft fingers brush against Jen's arm. "What's this? A...bite?"

"Tiger bite." Liza's brown eyes widen comically. "No, I'm kidding. It's just a dog. If it had been a tiger, my arm would probably have come off."

Jen chuckles, thinking it's funny, but Liza is frowning.

"Well...have you disinfected it?"

"Of course."

"With actual disinfectant?"

"What the Rakyats use is actual disinfectant."

"It's a plant crushed and left to ferment in tropical heat."

Jennifer shakes her head and resists the urge to roll her eyes.

"Sorry," whispers Liza, unexpectedly. "I'm just a bit... I'm worried, you know. About you. Because I care."

There was once a time when Jen's heart would have soared at such words, and she would then have spent days questioning how it was possible for her to feel like that when she knew, she knew, that she fancied Keith, but these days were over. Jen's kind of attraction for Citra, coupled with her weird dreams about Vaas, made it all clear: it didn't matter the gender, Jen was attracted to anyone even remotely good looking that gave her any form of attention. Middle child syndrome.

"Oh, he's good looking, now, is he?" Sasses Grant.

"Remotely!" Thinks Jen, as loud as possible, but Grant gives no sign of acknowledgement.

"Remotely what?" Asks Liza, confused.

"Nothing."

"No, no, what did you mean? Remotely what, Jenny?"

"Nothing!" Snaps Jen. Then, more softly: "I was just thinking to myself, sorry. Thank you for your concern, but really you don't need to worry. I'm fine. Just a bit tired, maybe."

Liza nods but does not seem fully convinced.

"I have to go."

Jen abruptly stands up, unable to bear the insufferable kindness in Liza's eyes.

"Rakyat stuff."

She grabs her things.

"What Rakyat stuff?" Liza is following closely.

"Just... Stuff. Citra needs me to-"

"Citra?" The acidity in Liza's voice is enough to make Jen stop. "Citra? She wants you to do more things for her?"

"She's helping me."

"Helping you do what? Become a junkie?"

"Fair point," pipes up Grant, standing with his arms crossed, just behind Liza. Jen stands there, words knocked out of her mouth. "Jenny, look, I'm sor-"

"I'm! I'm ! I'm fine, Liza!" Spit comes out of Jen's mouth as she shouts. "I'm fine! I'm ok! I'm doing this for Riley, and I won't stop until I get him back! You- you all would be dead or worse if it wasn't for me, and if it wasn't for Citra! I need you to support me, alright? I don't need-"

She stops, catches her breath.

"Look, Liza, thank you so much for caring about me. But please, if you want to help, then look after Keith and Oliver. I'm taking Riley back."

"Jenny," insists Liza as she catches Jen's arm. "Jenny, I understand, but... At what cost?"

"Any cost!" Laughs Jen. "Any cost at all!"

When she leaves, Liza lets her go.

On her way home, Jennifer is focused on her thoughts that she does not notice Dennis standing by her shack until she is herself stepping on its porch.

"Oh!" She gasps. "Jeez, Dennis, you scared me."

"Jennifer, come. I must show you something. Citra needs your help."

"Is she ok?" Asks Jen, unsheathing her machete.

"She is well. She needs you to assist her with a task. You must follow me, now."

Dennis leads her to his car and drives along the coast for a long time. For a while, Jen isn't quite sure where they are, until she recognises the cove.

"This is where Vaas tried to drown me," she tells Dennis. "There's a huge hole in the cliff, inland, with water at the bottom. I swam out of this cove here, thank god that was there!"

"This place is sacred. Come."

Dennis gets out of the car and Jen follows him up to the water. He's in a bit of a funny mood, but she lets it go. There, he motions at her machete and shotgun.

"This is sacred ground, you must leave your weapons behind. I have something to show you, before nightfall."

"Gosh, Dennis, what's going on?" Questions Jen as she drops her weapons to the floor, in a bush, and follows after him in the water.

They swim into the cove, until they reach the bottom of the hole, where Vaas dropped Jennifer about a century ago.

"Here," calls out Dennis, as he climbs onto the rocky sides. His hands search for a little while until he finds what he needs: a bit of vegetation that he pushes to the side to reveal a secret entrance inside the rocky cliff. He slides in.

Slightly unsure, Jen follows, squeezing through the tight opening until she emerges in what looks to be a lost, underground temple. Rays of light filter through tiny opening in the rock, and hit wisely placed mirrors that then cause the lug to be reflected about the cave, thus illuminating the place.

"Wow," Jen whispers breathlessly. "What is this place?"

"The lost temple of the warrior. It is hidden, and is only revealed to the Rakyat when they prove that they are worthy. Citra wanted me to show you this place."

As Dennis explains, Jen takes a few steps, letting her eyes wander over the grey rocks, the statues and carvings and intricate paintings that decorate the place. It is simply stunning.

At the centre of the room, there is a sort of elevated altar, and Jen drops her backpack before walking up to the altar. A great white ray of light falls on it.

"What is this?"

"The tomb of the great Rakyat warrior. The one who slayed the giant."

"He's in there?"

Bewildered, Jen caresses the stone with her fingertips.

"The legend says the great warrior will return, to free the Rakyats. Citra will give birth to him."

"Dennis," a soft laugh escapes Jen, as she turns around to face her friend. "This place is am-"

Jen frowns. She'd thought that Dennis was quite a few feet behind her, but he is awfully close. She can count the hairs on his chin. He's looking straight into her eyes, and he looks serious, very serious.

"Den-" the sounds get stuck in her throat as a wave of crippling pain rises from her belly and climbs up her chest, into her head, then explodes in all directions. She blinks. Looks down.

Bring me what has been lost.

She sees the handle of the knife, Dennis's hand around it. Where is the blade?

Bring me what has been lost.

Dennis' other hand goes to her shoulder and uses it as leverage as he pulls the knife out, then plunges it in again. Jen's eyes fill up with tears of pain and that's when she reacts. Too late.

"It is pointless to resist. Your sacrifice will be remembered by all. There will be many children named after you."

She hears the words but the pain stops her from understanding anything. Her knees give in and Dennis catches her.

"Why?" She asks, but can't, and it comes out as a wet croak.

"When your brother died, his soul went to you and made you strong. You are a warrior, Jennifer. You are the warrior. You have proved yourself worthy. But you cannot father a child."

He stabs her again and she falls against his shoulder.

"Citra will give birth to our saviour, but you cannot father a child. As you die, Jennifer, your soul will go to your younger brother, and he will become a warrior."

His hand cups her face and he looks into her eyes once more.

"He will father our saviour."

Everything is pain. She feels her feet leave the ground as Dennis lifts her into the air and settles her on top of the altar. The light coming from above is blinding.

"And here you lay as a warrior, and your sacrifice will be remembered. There will be songs about you, Jennifer. You will not truly die."

He's putting things on her. Flowers, pearls. Fruit. Reaches into her pocket. Takes the phone.

She starts shaking.

"You are a warrior. Citra thanks you for your sacrifice."

"Ff-fuck y-you..."

He puts something, a cloth, over her face, and everything goes dark. Jen barely hears him walking away.

Her hand goes up to try and pull the cloth off her face, but it hurts. And also, she's tired.

She's so, so tired.

It's getting dark.

She's dying a warrior.

Somewhere, Grant is shouting.

Jen's eyes flutter open as she realises Grant is right next to her, and she's shouting at her, shouting his head off, trying to wake her up. Behind him, on the floor, is the backpack.

The walkie talkie!

The pain is unbelievable. Jen rolls to her side and falls off the altar, and it hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Grant is screaming at her. She thinks he's urging her on, but she can't hear anything but the hot blood pulsing everywhere. She crawls. Stops. Crawls. Stops. Then her face is on the bag and she realises she's reached it. Her hand goes inside, but it hurts so much she tries to cry out. Her fingers close around her goal and she pulls it out.

No batteries.

Jen rolls onto her back and reaches into her pocket.

It's so, so hard to hold onto these tiny little batteries, all slippery, and she can't see at all what she's doing as she pushes them into the walkie talkie. She feels around for the button and turns the device on. Tries to speak.

"Press the other button," yells Grant. "The other button, J.!"

Oh, yeah. There's that. Fuck, everything hurts. It hurts. How is she even conscious?

She clasps her hand around the walkie talkie and makes sure she's pressing the speak button down, then she sticks it to her face and starts talking.

"V-" Nope, try again. "Va-" Almost there. "Vaas..." There you go. Good girl. "Help, Vaas, hel-" Coughing. "Help, help."

"Tell him where you are. Tell him where you are, come on J., you can do it." It's Grant.

"Hidd-hidden temp-" More coughing. "The hole... You drown-dr-drowned me... Hole... Wall, east side... Help"

She's not sure, but she may have said more, except all goes dark and she's in so much pain and she just needs to sleep now. Her hand relaxes around the walkie talkie and her head falls back.

She shuts her eyes.


End file.
